Five Reasons to Try Tabletop Roleplaying if You Love Video Games

Video games have always been awesome.

13:01 01 June 2017

Video games have always been awesome, but when you consider just how far console, PC and online gaming have come, it is clear that games now offer so much more than they used to. With memory at less of a premium, games can have rich stories, plenty of depth, and incredible graphics as well as challenging and enjoyable gameplay and mechanics. With online gaming, it is possible to make playing a game at home into a social activity where you can meet new people or spend time doing something with your existing friends.

 

Games now have stories as good as novels, visuals and voice acting as good as movies (in some cases), and interactivity that really immerses the player. However, there are still some limitations. You can only really choose from decisions the developers considered, and even with modding, you can't try out all the ideas you might have in mind, or create the weird crossovers you’d find enjoyable. You can't play a game based on your favorite book, TV show, comic or movie unless someone makes one.

 

 

This is where old school roleplaying games have something of an edge, and if you have never tried playing tabletop roleplaying adventures before, here are five good reasons to give it a go if you already love gaming:

 

1. Play the Game You Want

If you are willing to swap out graphics for imagination, and professional acting for the attempts of your friends, you can do whatever you want by playing tabletop roleplaying games. While there are official rule sets and settings, like the infamous Dungeons & Dragons or Vampire: The Masquerade, there are also generic rule sets you can adapt to play in whatever setting you want, with whatever characters you want. This provides you with extra freedom.

 

For example, if you really want to try playing a game set in Game of Thrones’ Westeros, but want your character to be a Pokémon trainer or a Jedi, you can do just that. However, ensure your story makes sense for everyone involved, as the story is an essential element to any roleplaying game. Other examples include ideas, characters and settings from your favorite media, or new ideas you’ve recently concocted. If you also love to write, then these fantasies of yours could be used to write fanfiction which can be posted online.

 

 

Additionally, some styles of playing refuse to use rules, and instead, become a collaborative storytelling activity; there are an abundance of approaches you can experiment with to create the game you've always wanted to play.

 

2. Cool Stuff

Tabletop roleplaying games are not virtual; therefore, you can buy physical objects to play with. These objects are instrumental to your gameplay, and if you wish to go one step further, you could all wear clothing related to your character.

Of course, the dice is an important and crucial feature to any tabletop game. Therefore, purchase a collectable Easy Roller Dice metal dice for you to cherish for many games to come. This more interesting ‘swag’ can make your game much more special and more enjoyable for yourself and your peers.

 

3. Spend More Time with Your Friends

Playing games with your friends is always a great, fun way to hang out, but when you play tabletop games, you usually play together in person. Therefore, the story and adventure evolve in front of your eyes, and while your friends physically surround you, you are fully immersed in the gameplay.

 

You can also include inside jokes, and truly customize the playing experience to the people you are with, so you end up having a better time than playing online video games together. Although conventionally these games are played by a group of people in the same place, there is no real reason they can't be played over things like Skype or Facetime, either, so it can be a cool thing to do with friends who are too far away to come to a gaming session.

 

4. Play as Long as You Want

Do you ever put off completing the main quest in a video game, simply because you don't want the game to end? Or are you put off starting some games because you know they are huge, and you don't have the time to dedicate to them right now? With tabletop roleplaying, you and your group are in control, so you can play long campaigns that go on for years of gaming sessions. By doing so, you build up characters and add new skills as you go through countless different encounters, stories and battles. However, if you are strapped for time, simple one-shot games that are complete in a couple of hours can also be acquired.

 

Additionally, if you become attached to a character you created for a single adventure, there is no reason you can't transplant them into other, future stories.

 

5. It Can Be Really Funny

Some players take their roleplaying very seriously, but even they manage to inject a bit of humor into proceedings. You often end up with all kinds of weird situations that are funny when you roleplay, from seeing two of your friends have their characters end up falling in love and getting married in game, to hearing one of your friends' interpretation of the voice of a 'wise old crone'.

 

 

Some games are designed to be wacky and humorous, so if that's what appeals to you, then you can always go down that avenue. However, even the most earnest high fantasy epic adventure usually has some genuinely hilarious moments when it is being told and interpreted by your friends.

 

 

Roleplaying isn't so much a replacement for video games, and most people who play tabletop games like video games too, but it can be a great way to try some new ideas and play out all of the things video games can't currently let you do. All you need is a few friends who are interested in giving it a go,  some ideas, and you can get started and see where your own creativity and experience as a gamer leads you!